How to get a funded trading account

Choosing your market and trading platform

Pick a financial market that fits both your available time and the money you can spend before paying any fee. At a retail prop firm, you can usually choose futures or forex. Futures contracts cover stock indexes, oil, or gold and trade on a central exchange. Forex involves trading one country's currency against another.

Each market pairs with specific charting software on your computer or phone. Select a prop firm that supports software you already know how to use. Most US traders select futures prop firms because futures prices come from a regulated public exchange. Retail firms charge customers an evaluation fee, while institutional desks hire traders to manage company money.

Step-by-step path: how to get a funded trading account

Each retail firm follows a similar path, beginning with sign-up and ending with withdrawal. An evaluation is a test where you aim for a profit goal in a simulated account, and you must pay to take it. Your drawdown is the largest loss you may take before the firm closes your account, and you must stay above it.

After you pass, any simulated gains are shared between you and the firm under the profit split. Evaluations happen in simulated accounts, and we don't give investment advice. Payouts remain out of reach for most traders.

• Select a market and trading platform that let charts and orders run smoothly on your device.
• Calculate the complete cost, including fees for activation after passing, resets, and monthly tests.
• Read the drawdown rule closely. This rule tells you when the firm calculates your maximum loss limit.
• Pass the prop firm challenge by reaching the profit target without breaking your daily or total loss limit.
• Pay the activation fee if your firm adds a charge for opening your funded account.
• Follow all the payout rules, such as the minimum trading days and the limits on single-day profits.
• Once your simulated balance goes past the minimum withdrawal amount set by the firm, ask for a payout.

The true cost of a prop firm evaluation

Listed prices won't show what you'll actually spend. Each month on the Standard Path costs $49 for a 50K Trading Combine at Topstep. Topstep charges a $149 activation fee for every Express Funded Account you earn. If you pass in one month, your Topstep total is $198 ($49 plus $149). Topstep has another option, with no activation fee, at $95 per month for the 50K account.

According to Topstep's beginner guide, neither evaluation fees nor activation fees can be refunded. The completion rate for Topstep Trading Combines in 2025 was just 16.8%. Topstep says it has paid traders $1.5B+.

Lucid Trading charges $172 upfront for the LucidPro 50K account, with no monthly subscription or activation fee. The fee to reset a failed LucidPro 50K account at Lucid Trading is $120. Compare these total expenses with the prop firm cost calculator before purchasing.

Is a free trial an option, or can you get instant funding instead?

You don't have to pay for an evaluation immediately. At FTMO, you can choose a 14-day Free Trial of the 2-Step Challenge. The firm has run its flagship evaluation since 2015. You can practice following loss rules by testing a free funded trading account before you spend money. Since 2015, FTMO reports that it has paid $650M+. In the simulated account, futures traders can get up to 90% of their profits. Accounts scale up to $2,000,000.

Some firms also offer instant accounts, which cost more upfront but don't require an evaluation. At FTMO, an instant account comes with a 10% max loss limit. For futures, the Details of Tradeify pricing list the Growth 50K evaluation at $145, plus a $95 reset fee. Tradeify also offers the Lightning Funded 50K account for $492, with immediate funding and no evaluation or resets. No Tradeify plan charges activation fees or allows overnight holding, while the simulated funded split works out to 90%.

What rules control your first payout?

Passing only marks the start of the process. The Topstep 50K combine has a $3,000 profit target, and your strongest single day must remain below 55%. The Maximum Loss Limit changes with your end-of-day balance, and you may pass Topstep in as few as 2 days. Once Topstep funds you, you keep 90% of the profits, and withdrawals start with a $125 minimum payout.

Before you request money, you must meet any consistency rules included with many funded accounts. With Lucid Trading, your biggest day on a LucidPro 50K funded account cannot exceed 40% of your cycle profit. Lucid Trading provides a 90% split, requires a $500 minimum payout, and pays out in up to 2 working days. Each household at Lucid Trading can have no more than 5 funded accounts.